A woman has pleaded guilty to criminal damage after admitting she took a cash machine apart with her hands. Charley Harrison, also known as Charley Hornsby, went to the ATM at Asda, to take out some money for her friend.
But when she returned to her mate, the 26-year-old could not find the cash. The woman, from North Yorkshire, went back to the cash machine after searching for the money for over an hour, Teeside Live reports.
She also realised at that point she did not have her friend's bank card, Harrison, who ‘didn’t want everyone to think she had nicked a bank card or money’, decided to ‘rip up the ATM with her hands’.
Harrison, who claims disability benefit, pleaded guilty to criminal damage at Teesside Magistrates’ Court. Michael Embleton, prosecuting, said were called to the store on September 24 after a person was seen using a saw to cause damage to the machine.
Harrison told police officers on arrival that the ATM had ‘swallowed her cash’. When officers inspected the machine they found that the cash strip was broken, the screen had been smashed and parts of the machine were on the floor.
But a saw or any other piece of equipment was not found. Harrison told officers she was responsible for the damage and that she went to the cash point but didn’t take the money from the machine.
She then left and noticed her balance had gone down, Mr Embleton told the court. She then noticed that she didn’t have the bank card used either and stated the machine had ‘swallowed her card’.
Mr Embleton described how Harrison “took the cash machine apart” and had used ‘her hands to rip things apart’. Harrison denied using a saw to cause damage to the machine which belongs to Barclays.
Harrison has six convictions for eight offences, the court heard. Harrison, who was unrepresented during the hearing, agreed with all facts the prosecutor outlined to the magistrates’ bench.
She told the court that it was her friend’s bank card and she went to the ATM to take our cash for her. “I got cash out but there was no cash on me,” she said.
“I was searching for it for an hour and a half.” She said the card was not in the machine when she went back to the ATM and started "panicking."
Harrison added: “I didn’t want everyone to think I had nicked a bank card or money. I ripped it up with my hands.”
The magistrates’ bench ordered a pre-sentence report to be prepared before Harrison learns her fate. Harrison, of Roseberry View, Thornaby, will return to Teesside Magistrates’ Court on February 2 for sentencing.
She was granted unconditional bail.
